Leaky Bottles

Updated on December 01, 2008
K.C. asks from Evansville, IN
20 answers

I recently switched to Advent BPA-free bottles from the original Advent Bottles for my 7.5 month old son. I am breastfeeding, so he only gets bottles during daycare.
I am so frustrated with the Advent BPA-free bottles - they leak almost every time. By the time I get to daycare and put them in the fridge there, I lose anywhere from 0.5-1.5 oz of BM from each bottle. If I am extremely careful and keep them upright, they are fine. However, then they leak all over my son as they are feeding him. This is driving me crazy - I've tried to tighten them, loosen them, put them together when slightly wet and completely dry. Nothing seems to work. I'm having to fill them slightly higher to make sure he gets enough - but BM is too hard to come by to waste it!!
Please help! Thank you!

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J.L.

answers from Toledo on

I was given one of these bottles as a gift. I think they are horrible. Unless you had the cap on perfect it leaked. I had some Gerber brand that were similar (wider opening) and they worked great.

1 mom found this helpful
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T.L.

answers from Cleveland on

Don't know if the BP free bottles are the same as the old Avent bottles. I had the old Avent for both my babies; and loved them. They would leak if you I didn't put the nipple and ring on right. I found that if I pushed the nipple and cap down first (it would almost make a snapping sound) then screwed it on; I knew I had it on right. Hope that helps.

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A.F.

answers from Columbus on

I, too, hated the AVENT bottles. I contacted the company to express...OH...my HUGE displeasure at having purchased such an expensive set of bottles only to have them leak all over me, my infant son and my fabric rocker in the middle of the night, sometimes multiple times. Not to mention the fun that I had cleaning out my diaper bags constantly. Basically, rather than have a "customer is always right" attitude (and I hadn't been rude up until this point), I was told that I wasn't doing it right. Yeah. They told me to ensure that the nipples weren't misshapen from the way I cleaned them (oh, I see...MY fault), to make sure that they were entirely dry before putting them back in the tops (duh!) and then to put the cap on the top before screwing it on the bottle. By this time, I was mad. I told them that I didn't think that one aught to need a masters in mechanical engineering in order to screw the top on the bottle. They also told me not to overtighten the bottle as that might have the opposite effect. I inquired...Are you kidding me???? And, hello, had they actually had children? How many of us have time to follow seventeen steps before putting a cap on in the middle of the night? And exactly how much torque was required for a baby bottle so it was "just right"? (My husband was laughing so hard he was crying.) I might have been downloading a few post-baby hormones at that time! Needless to say, I switched to Playtex with the disposable liners. I was MUCH happier. Feeding was much smoother with my second child. I didn't like the Vent-Aire and I actually thought those and the AVENT bottles were contributing to my first child's gas contrary to their advertisements. Anyway, my recommendation is to give those bottles a one-way trip to the recycler and try a few until you find one that works for you and your precious baby! Good luck!

1 mom found this helpful
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B.B.

answers from Indianapolis on

Dr. Brown's bottles are now being made BPA free. They have a travel cap that you can put on so it won't leak.

The older bottles had a little disk you could sit on the top of the bottle (on top of the little rubber part attached to the tube), then put the cap on and that would do a great job too.

The newer travel caps, I think, you have to put on without having the tube/rubber thing in the bottle, so you could maybe put all the bottle parts in a zip lock bag then and take it with you - that's what we've done.

Good luck!

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E.M.

answers from Cleveland on

I am having the same problem with my Dr. Brown BPA free bottles. I never had the problem with the regular ones, just the BPA free ones!!!! I agree BM is definitely precious and am having the same frustration. So, don't switch to the Dr. Brown either!!!! It is so sad that we try to watch out for our kids and are ending up with more headaches!!! :)

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N.F.

answers from South Bend on

I was a strict Advent product user. However, when the BPA was linked to baby bottles I was concerned. At the time, Advent did not have a BPA free bottle so I chose the 2.99 3 pack of Gerber bottles. I have been happy ever since. More expensive doesn't always mean better. And I label addict!!

Nicole

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A.

answers from Cleveland on

I've had the same problems with Playtex and switched to "Dr.Browns". They are SO MUCH BETTER!!!!! And never leak!!!!!(BPA free)
Good luck!

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D.B.

answers from Cleveland on

Phew! I thought I was the only one who had that problem, or that our grandson's bottles were defective. We thought he just sucked very hard, but they leak all over him too, whenever we are taking care of him. He's on formula and that plus the bottles is not cheap either. Glad
you asked about this too, because we were curious.

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D.T.

answers from Indianapolis on

We've used Avent bottles for many years, including the new ones. Both types tend to leak when the ring is screwed on too tight. Most people tend to over-tighten it.

Call customer service and complain. You may just have some defective bottles and they'll replace them.

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J.M.

answers from Mansfield on

I use the same brand of bottles for my daughter. I am not sure if they are the BPA free ones or not, almost postive they are. But I notice that when mine leak it is either because the cap is not on tight, the nipple may not be pulled tight, or the nipple is pinched some how. I always unscrew the cap, and wipe it dry from the leaked milk, pull the nipple up to be sure it is pulled tight and then put the cap back on. I also always shake and tip the bottle like I was feeding her to be sure it is not leaking before I put it in her diaper bag.

I know that sounds like a lot of hassle, but it works for me. I hope it helps you. Good Luck

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S.K.

answers from Cleveland on

Have you tried wetting the nipple before putting it on the bottle? I know we had that problem until I figured that out. If you wet the nipple, it helps create the seal on top of the bottle. Make sure you check it after filling it to make sure it's on right. From what I remember, it makes a different sound or something when you tip it if it's not sealed. (It's been 3 yrs since we were in the bottle phase!)

Hope that helps. If all else fails, call Avent!

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C.R.

answers from Columbus on

We used the original Avent bottles and yes I would have leaking every once in a while but very rarely and usually it was because the nipple needed replaced (we threw them in the dishwasher so they broke down faster) but I wasn't horribly unhappy with the brand...until we switched to the sippy spouts. The white ones were great but once he moved up to the next stage the darn things leaked every time. I called the company twice about it and after telling them that yes I was correctly doing everything they suggested they send replacement sippies on 2 occasions, still leaked. After the whole BPA thing and them refusing to take them off the shelves I sold all my sons bottles (he was using regular sippys by this point) to a local baby consignment store and plan on using the Playtex drop ins for this child. My parents used Playtex with no complaints and everyone I know that has used them really like them. We also tried the Vent-Aire and HATED those. I think different bottles work for different people and sometimes it's just a matter of trial and error until you find one you like though.

I notice your baby is 7 months old though, if you haven't already you might just try replacing the nipples and see if that helps.

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A.A.

answers from Toledo on

I used the Avent bottles with both of my kids. I did find that they would leak. Usually unscrewing the top and putting it back on would take care of it.
Sometimes I would take the nipple out of the ring and re-do it then put it back and it would get a better seal.

I, like you, was putting BM in those bottles and didn't want to lose any of it.

Good luck.

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M.R.

answers from Cincinnati on

I used Avent bottles and HATED them.

Apparently, you have to only *just* tighten then until you feel it 'snug'. If you tighten the lid nice and tight (and, really, who wouldn't do that when they're trying to prevent leaking), the leaking gets WORSE! It has something to do with their 'airflow' system. The insert on the bottle package tells you this, but I mean seriously...who stops to read the instructions on how to tighten a bottle lid? Maybe I should have, but still...

I got tired of dumping milk and formula all over my son that I threw them out and switched to Dr. Brown's. Quite honestly, I didn't have the time to try to figure out what 'just tight enough' was with the avent bottles.

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K.

answers from Lima on

Hi Kim, I'm also using the BPA free bottles with my second child after using the regular ones with my first. As a few other people have said, in my experience it is tightening them too much that makes them leak. Sometimes I do have to try two times to make sure they don't leak, but it's never much of a hassle. I'm a big fan of Avent products.

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J.K.

answers from Cleveland on

Hi K.! I use the original Avent bottles with my 6 month old and they too leak quite frequently. I have talked to a few other moms and they also have had leaking problems with their Avent bottles. Very frustrating- might consider switching brands. Good luck.

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J.C.

answers from Cleveland on

I have used the Avent bottles with all three of my kids. We were really frustrated for a while because we were having the same issue. In our case, we found that if there was even a drop of water between the nipple & the ring or between the ring & the bottle, it's almost like it creates a "wicking effect" and the bottle will leak. If we are sure to hand dry them as we are taking them out of the dishwasher, 100% of the time we DO NOT have a problem. I honestly think this is the problem....give it a try, if you already have the bottles & this works, there is no sense throwing them out & buying new ones. Hope it works for you!

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K.S.

answers from Columbus on

I used these with a little boy I used to babysit for. I had the same problem, but every once in awhile, they worked great. I figured it had something to do with the nipple sitting right in that ring. But, I don't know. Try emailing the company and see if they have anything to say about it.

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S.R.

answers from Cleveland on

i put breast milk in medela bottles that came with my pump, they do not leak...its true breast milk is liquid gold!!

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L.D.

answers from Columbus on

I'm in the minority here but I have the original avent bottles and love them. I considered changing only b/c of all the hype about the BPA free issue but decided if it was really that big of a deal the product would have been recalled!

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